Last night Tim and I met up with a few old friends in the West Loop area since they were in town from Minneapolis and wanted to see us. Most of the guys we met with are folks we haven't seen since Travis got married in 2007, so it's been quite a while. It was a lot of fun, and a really good night.
We took an adventure and had fun because we haven't really done anything other than work, sleep and chill out at home, mostly because we didn't have the money. We still don't, but we wanted to live a little. We ended up at Bar Louie on Randolph, which was great because we had a one piece band try to play Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance" on an acoustic guitar. Needless to say it was hilarious, and basically everybody in the place was either dancing or singing along. For bar music, it was pretty good.
I was the only girl in the group we met with, since they were all part of a gaming convention for WarHammer, and Jason was quite happy that I had shown up, because he had been around "geeky" men all weekend. A little later Travis and Brady arrived, and these guys are like Tim's brothers, and ever since I met them they've taken me into their group as if I was family. It felt really good to see them all again, because it had been too long since we had seen them. We laughed a lot about old things and shared stories. We also planned and schemed for Tim and I to find jobs in Minneapolis/St. Paul/St. Cloud area so that "Tim can come home."
Our jobs at the bookstore have gotten significantly worse in recent weeks, and I can't really say why, because I've thought and thought about it and can't come up with a reason. Most of my co-workers are tired of the job and being treated as poorly by management as we are getting treated. So we are actively, desperately seeking new employment due to these deteriorating conditions. My old boss Elizabeth got a better and higher paying job at another store, this time specialising in where Brides and Grooms go to make their registeries, and our new boss isn't very friendly. Most people I talked to don't like her much, and she's been here for a week or two.
I'm also excited because I'm going to Grand Rapids again in the coming weeks because of two showers and a wedding. I'm actually really excited about it, because I haven't been back in a while. So that's basically what's going on in our lives. I apologize for no new updates--there hasn't been much else going on.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Couple Hard Days and Celebrity Sightings
Let me first say that it has been an extraordinary few days.
Late last week Tim got pretty sick, so I spent a few days taking care of him and doing what I could to help him, despite the fact that there wasn't anything I could do more than what I've already done. He still isn't feeling 100%, so hopefully he'll get over it soon. He got a pretty froggy voice yesterday so I loaded him up with medicine and some aspirin to take to work. I've also been pushing fluids on him, but I don't know if that helps much. I sometimes get frustrated because I can't "fix" it since there are no real symptoms I can take care of, save general achiness.
This turned out to actually be not so bad compared to Wednesday at work. Wednesday afternoon, a co-worker died on his lunchbreak. He walked over to the food court in the mall across the street as normal, and after eating a bit of his lunch, from what I heard, he fell asleep. About an hour later, mall cops tried to wake him up, and I guess they found he had just slept away.
He was 84 years old, and worked in our store part time, manning the information desk most days. He was constantly happy and constantly smiling, excited to be there. He will leave a hole in our staff, and today I saw that the lock on his locker was open, just like he had left it the day before. It just sort of hit me then that he wouldn’t welcome me into the store anymore, and this made me sad.
Wednesday night, shortly after I heard the news of my co-worker's death, Roger Ebert came into the store to do a signing for his latest book. I thought it was pretty cool because he walked past me and smiled. I also saw him do his classic "thumbs up" to his wife and assistant, who both accompanied him. He was wearing his neck covering because of his illness, but it didn't look to be too bothersome to him. Though I think it is a terrible shame he lost such an iconic voice in film critique. I remember always watching Siskel and Ebert growing up to hear about the movies that were playing in the theatres.
I also saw Brian Dennehy the other day in the coffee shop. At first I didn't even recognize him until a co-worker pointed him out. It’s the second time I’ve seen him in our store, because he’s in Chicago doing a play. He hasn't bought anything particular from me, but I still think it's cool. That’s all the celebrities I’ve seen so far, though I missed meeting Kat Von D by about 15 minutes when I came in on Monday. One of my bosses/friends is STILL giddy about meeting her and loses his cool whenever he talks about her. He's such a sweetie when he talks about it. Most of the people I work with don't tend to get star-struck (with the Kat Von D exception) but I still think it's cool. While I don't get too starstruck (in fact, seeing Ebert made me feel happy on the inside because I respect the man), I imagine that one day I will meet someone famous and I will absolutely lose my cool.
Tim has met a few more famous people, but I don't know who they are off hand. One of my other co-workers got to check Madonna's ID a while back, because apparently her credit card wasn't signed or something. According to him, she was like "really? you really need to check this?" and he was like "yes, yes I do." Truth is, he has to check because it's store policy. Still though, it's funny that he checked Madonna's ID. Celebrities come into our store all the time because we are a pretty big/nationally known store, so that's cool. If I see anybody else, I'll let you guys know!
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wedding Pictures
[Warning: Soppy post ahead. I apologize in advance. I'll try not to gush too much.]
I finally got our wedding album and I had quite a bit of fun looking through them again. With every picture I looked at, I couldn't help but smile and get giddy, remembering every little thing about the day. I can't help but smile even typing about it.
I am *so* thankful for our wonderful photographer Katie, who did a phenomenal job and who was just about as flexible as we were. I take great pride in the fact that she told me that she enjoyed putting our album together because we were simply one of the most laid-back couples she has had to work with. This fact alone makes it all worthwhile. I'm mostly happy that I was able to get some money into the tanking Michigan Economy and helping a local business.
I still get a flutter in my stomach sometimes when I think about how lucky I am to be married to Tim. I remember when I was in the back choir room sequestered away, I was as calm and as cool as a cucumber (at least mentally) and I didn't hear anything. It was only when the big church organ started to play when I realized it was less than five minutes until the wedding was supposed to start, and that Tim was probably walking the Moms down the aisle and seating them.
It was then, and only then, that I started to get really nervous. The lead up during that week was pretty bad (I turned into the Bridezilla I promised myself I never would...sad-making) but as soon as we got to Traverse City, as soon as I was there and things were falling into place, I relaxed and was ready to get the show on the road. Walking down the aisle looking at him, and looking up at my dad, I was just so happy.
It's not quite five months into the marriage, and like any newlywed, I am still in awe of the things that I am learning both about me and my husband. Life is not easy, by any means, nor is keeping cool when it seems like so much is stacked up against us. But I couldn't ask for anything more than the life I have now. He makes me happier than I have been in several years, and that's a pretty big deal, especially because the months leading up to the wedding I hardly saw him (In the 9 months leading up to the wedding, I saw him maybe for about a month total. Other than that, we didn't see each other and talked on the phone.) and I missed him terribly.
All this stuff was brought up just by looking at photos.
Just for a taste,
here are two of my favorites.
I finally got our wedding album and I had quite a bit of fun looking through them again. With every picture I looked at, I couldn't help but smile and get giddy, remembering every little thing about the day. I can't help but smile even typing about it.
I am *so* thankful for our wonderful photographer Katie, who did a phenomenal job and who was just about as flexible as we were. I take great pride in the fact that she told me that she enjoyed putting our album together because we were simply one of the most laid-back couples she has had to work with. This fact alone makes it all worthwhile. I'm mostly happy that I was able to get some money into the tanking Michigan Economy and helping a local business.
I still get a flutter in my stomach sometimes when I think about how lucky I am to be married to Tim. I remember when I was in the back choir room sequestered away, I was as calm and as cool as a cucumber (at least mentally) and I didn't hear anything. It was only when the big church organ started to play when I realized it was less than five minutes until the wedding was supposed to start, and that Tim was probably walking the Moms down the aisle and seating them.
It was then, and only then, that I started to get really nervous. The lead up during that week was pretty bad (I turned into the Bridezilla I promised myself I never would...sad-making) but as soon as we got to Traverse City, as soon as I was there and things were falling into place, I relaxed and was ready to get the show on the road. Walking down the aisle looking at him, and looking up at my dad, I was just so happy.
It's not quite five months into the marriage, and like any newlywed, I am still in awe of the things that I am learning both about me and my husband. Life is not easy, by any means, nor is keeping cool when it seems like so much is stacked up against us. But I couldn't ask for anything more than the life I have now. He makes me happier than I have been in several years, and that's a pretty big deal, especially because the months leading up to the wedding I hardly saw him (In the 9 months leading up to the wedding, I saw him maybe for about a month total. Other than that, we didn't see each other and talked on the phone.) and I missed him terribly.
All this stuff was brought up just by looking at photos.
Just for a taste,
here are two of my favorites.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Winter Blues
The winter is starting to get to me. It isn't the snow that is a problem, nor is it the blustery wind (though that does seem to cause its own problems). What really gets to me is when the temperature dips below zero. I can handle things in the tens or even the single digits, because then it is at least somewhat decent. The slush is frozen and I can walk on it without getting my shoes soaking wet on Chicago near Michigan Avenue.
This past week we got a huge blast of arctic air and our temperatures plummeted between -2 and -51, depending on the windchill. On Thursday when I woke up it was -20 (not including windchill) and I had to cover all my skin or risk getting frostbite in the five minute walk to the train platform before getting under the heat lamps. You know it is bad when, walking home eight hours later, the temperature rose to -7 (not including windchill) and I think to myself "Oh, it's actually not that cold!" Tim and I have a favorite webcomic that we read everyday called XKCD. This past week we have been between "F**********k" and "Spit goes Clink" on this scale: XKCD comic: Converting to Metric .
I've learned that Tim and I can live with the cold air as long as it isn't windy. Chicago is great because the streets are often built on a grid, going North/South and East/West. This is a good thing when the winds are going one direction, and you are travelling/walking in another. The buildings block out some of the wind and you get this lovely buffer of cold (but not blowy) air. Unfortunately for me, I often seem to be travelling in the same direction as the wind is blowing, so I freeze. The apartment is warm, but not really warm enough for me. Our radiators work, but I can't feel the heat coming from them. It's about 60-65 degrees in our apartment but even then, we have to wear socks and sweatshirts and have blankets on us in order to feel warm enough and comfortable enough to move around without being cold. Our apartment is on the second floor (thank goodness!) because the ground floor has terrible drafts that make my hands turn icy when doing the laundry for more than two minutes.
I think I'm ready for the air to heat up just a little bit. Wind I can deal with, as long as it is above 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It was 14 degrees yesterday and I was really happy, because it was warm enough to snow. It was "not that cold," and I felt totally ridiculous for saying it. Perhaps it will warm up a little soon. If we stay in the high 20s or low 30s, I'll be happy. We will see what happens over the next month or so.
This past week we got a huge blast of arctic air and our temperatures plummeted between -2 and -51, depending on the windchill. On Thursday when I woke up it was -20 (not including windchill) and I had to cover all my skin or risk getting frostbite in the five minute walk to the train platform before getting under the heat lamps. You know it is bad when, walking home eight hours later, the temperature rose to -7 (not including windchill) and I think to myself "Oh, it's actually not that cold!" Tim and I have a favorite webcomic that we read everyday called XKCD. This past week we have been between "F**********k" and "Spit goes Clink" on this scale: XKCD comic: Converting to Metric .
I've learned that Tim and I can live with the cold air as long as it isn't windy. Chicago is great because the streets are often built on a grid, going North/South and East/West. This is a good thing when the winds are going one direction, and you are travelling/walking in another. The buildings block out some of the wind and you get this lovely buffer of cold (but not blowy) air. Unfortunately for me, I often seem to be travelling in the same direction as the wind is blowing, so I freeze. The apartment is warm, but not really warm enough for me. Our radiators work, but I can't feel the heat coming from them. It's about 60-65 degrees in our apartment but even then, we have to wear socks and sweatshirts and have blankets on us in order to feel warm enough and comfortable enough to move around without being cold. Our apartment is on the second floor (thank goodness!) because the ground floor has terrible drafts that make my hands turn icy when doing the laundry for more than two minutes.
I think I'm ready for the air to heat up just a little bit. Wind I can deal with, as long as it is above 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It was 14 degrees yesterday and I was really happy, because it was warm enough to snow. It was "not that cold," and I felt totally ridiculous for saying it. Perhaps it will warm up a little soon. If we stay in the high 20s or low 30s, I'll be happy. We will see what happens over the next month or so.
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Year Adventures
Our New Year was actually quite anti-climactic. The only thing we really did was stay up late to watch the clock turn over and have a midnight kiss. We missed the ball dropping in New York for New Year's ET (eastern time) edition, but to be honest we didn't really care much. There's YouTube for stuff like that, I guess.
I was getting frustrated because Kathy Griffin really annoys me, and we were watching CNN because both of us like Anderson Cooper quite a bit. So after that, we went to bed and slept for several hours. It was very relaxing. We got up at around 9:30 the next day and met our friend Glenn (one of our groomsmen), his girlfriend and our friend Chevalia. We hopped a Metra train to Naperville, and we went to a little hole in the wall place for lunch (had the trains been running, Glenn and Chevalia would have watched those) and to watch the Outdoor Hockey game at Wrigley field between Detroit Redwings and the Chicago Blackhawks.
We were not the only ones there watching the game, and the Chicagoans were getting really angry about the Blackhawks losing. However, I was scared because our Michigander visitors were totally rooting for the Redwings, and not being as quiet as I would have liked. The train ride was really fun because we got to ride a double-decker and we just whooped it up the whole way there and back. When we got back to Chicago they had to get on their Amtrak to Grand Rapids so we said our goodbyes and we took the "L" home.
Tim and I caught some fans at the Addison stop but we managed to steer clear of it. A few hours later our friend Ted arrived from a flight from Tokyo. He's been over there since August working with the JET program. So we spent the evening hanging out and eating popcorn. For Christmas, Tim and I received a hot air popcorn popper from Gigi, and we have used it every day since Christmas. We are still learning how exactly to best mimic Grandpa Graff's famous popcorn recipe, and we're getting close. Still though, there is something about Grandpa Graff's popcorn that just tastes better.
So after catching up on some sleep, I took Ted to Union station and told him to call if he wanted to take public transport to O'Hare instead of flying from Grand Rapids. I also learned a bit more about how the lines interact. I learned today how thankful I am that the Pink line goes clockwise around the Loop as opposed to the Brown line (which goes counter-clockwise) when trying to go back to Union Station after Ted realized he forgot/lost something along the way. So we went back on the train and checked all the places we could have been. Eventually, hours after I left Ted, he called me saying he had found what was lost. I was incredibly relieved.
After saying my goodbyes to Ted, I went down to the yarn shop I like on Polk street hoping to buy more yarn for Tim's scarf, but they were fully sold out of ALL the yarn I was looking for! I was very disappointed, especially when they said it would take roughly three weeks to get more. There goes the window for getting the same Dyelots! So I came home and just finished his scarf as it was, and used the few yards I had left to make fringe.
Hopefully his scarf will be warm enough that the Chicago winds won't blow through it. I tried to take that into account when he asked me to make it, so the wool is nice and chunky, and also knit doubley thick, so there won't be any wind getting to Tim's neck! This makes me feel good since he will actually WEAR this, and it looks nice with the black hat I made him earlier since he didn't like the hat colors I had knit him earlier, back when we were just dating.
We also got a web-cam for Christmas, so once I get my brother on the phone, he can help me install it. That will be pretty cool, because then we'll be free to video chat. We are both optimistic about the job market and economy, because things are slowly, slowly starting to go into upturn. We'll keep you updated about what happens with us.
I was getting frustrated because Kathy Griffin really annoys me, and we were watching CNN because both of us like Anderson Cooper quite a bit. So after that, we went to bed and slept for several hours. It was very relaxing. We got up at around 9:30 the next day and met our friend Glenn (one of our groomsmen), his girlfriend and our friend Chevalia. We hopped a Metra train to Naperville, and we went to a little hole in the wall place for lunch (had the trains been running, Glenn and Chevalia would have watched those) and to watch the Outdoor Hockey game at Wrigley field between Detroit Redwings and the Chicago Blackhawks.
We were not the only ones there watching the game, and the Chicagoans were getting really angry about the Blackhawks losing. However, I was scared because our Michigander visitors were totally rooting for the Redwings, and not being as quiet as I would have liked. The train ride was really fun because we got to ride a double-decker and we just whooped it up the whole way there and back. When we got back to Chicago they had to get on their Amtrak to Grand Rapids so we said our goodbyes and we took the "L" home.
Tim and I caught some fans at the Addison stop but we managed to steer clear of it. A few hours later our friend Ted arrived from a flight from Tokyo. He's been over there since August working with the JET program. So we spent the evening hanging out and eating popcorn. For Christmas, Tim and I received a hot air popcorn popper from Gigi, and we have used it every day since Christmas. We are still learning how exactly to best mimic Grandpa Graff's famous popcorn recipe, and we're getting close. Still though, there is something about Grandpa Graff's popcorn that just tastes better.
So after catching up on some sleep, I took Ted to Union station and told him to call if he wanted to take public transport to O'Hare instead of flying from Grand Rapids. I also learned a bit more about how the lines interact. I learned today how thankful I am that the Pink line goes clockwise around the Loop as opposed to the Brown line (which goes counter-clockwise) when trying to go back to Union Station after Ted realized he forgot/lost something along the way. So we went back on the train and checked all the places we could have been. Eventually, hours after I left Ted, he called me saying he had found what was lost. I was incredibly relieved.
After saying my goodbyes to Ted, I went down to the yarn shop I like on Polk street hoping to buy more yarn for Tim's scarf, but they were fully sold out of ALL the yarn I was looking for! I was very disappointed, especially when they said it would take roughly three weeks to get more. There goes the window for getting the same Dyelots! So I came home and just finished his scarf as it was, and used the few yards I had left to make fringe.
Hopefully his scarf will be warm enough that the Chicago winds won't blow through it. I tried to take that into account when he asked me to make it, so the wool is nice and chunky, and also knit doubley thick, so there won't be any wind getting to Tim's neck! This makes me feel good since he will actually WEAR this, and it looks nice with the black hat I made him earlier since he didn't like the hat colors I had knit him earlier, back when we were just dating.
We also got a web-cam for Christmas, so once I get my brother on the phone, he can help me install it. That will be pretty cool, because then we'll be free to video chat. We are both optimistic about the job market and economy, because things are slowly, slowly starting to go into upturn. We'll keep you updated about what happens with us.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Christmas in Chicagoland
It has finally started to feel like Christmas for us here in Chicago. In the last week or so we have had some very wintery weather, most of it has been tolerable. Except late last week, the temperature dropped suddenly and quite quickly, dumping us with a lot of snow, ice and very cold wind. Our walks to the public transport points have been incredibly difficult the colder it gets, because while the snow and wind is a nuisance, it is tolerable when the temperature is roughly 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, when the temperature drops to about 0 degrees, the wind (and snow) gets to be a little too much. Even with several layers of clothes and warm shoes, we still get chilled to the bone. But we still manage to survive in the freezing cold weather. It's sort of nice, because we know for sure that our groceries won't go bad in the half hour trip between store and house. It has been unusually icy and slushy, which makes a lot of problems when one has to cross the street and has no waders!
Tonight is Christmas Eve, and after a very busy few weeks at work, we are excited to be done with the insanity that a Chicago Christmas brings, especially working in retail. We want to go to a Midnight mass at our church and I hope there is a service we can go to. We are excited about sharing this Christmas together because it is our first "official" Christmas together. Our tree is all trimmed, our gifts are wrapped and stockings stuffed. We're meeting Tim's family for lunch tomorrow and while I'm excited, I'm also a bit nervous, because who knows what will happen when the five of us get together.
We have a lot to look forward to this month, because I (Christy) heard from our Operations Manager (OM) at work that he wants to keep me on after the holiday season. He said it in no uncertain terms, which is encouraging. Tim has been told that the OM wants to keep HIM on as well, and this is a way for us to (possibly) keep our jobs. This is a huge breakthrough for both of us, because while we might not be able to find "real" jobs (those that take place in offices and have health insurance, for example), we have jobs that we like, and that we are good at.
Christy's dad came to visit us for a few days earlier this month. We exchanged some Christmas gifts (and didn't open any!) and went out for dinner to catch up. It was the first time we had seen any family members since the wedding, and it was just a nice thing to do and it felt good to have some normalcy in our crazy and hectic work schedules. It was really good to see Tim and dad get together again. It was interesting because before the wedding they would only shake hands; now, my dad took the initiative and hugged him. I guess that means that Tim is really part of the family now.
Anyway, that's about all there is to say right now. Merry Christmas everybody!
However, when the temperature drops to about 0 degrees, the wind (and snow) gets to be a little too much. Even with several layers of clothes and warm shoes, we still get chilled to the bone. But we still manage to survive in the freezing cold weather. It's sort of nice, because we know for sure that our groceries won't go bad in the half hour trip between store and house. It has been unusually icy and slushy, which makes a lot of problems when one has to cross the street and has no waders!
Tonight is Christmas Eve, and after a very busy few weeks at work, we are excited to be done with the insanity that a Chicago Christmas brings, especially working in retail. We want to go to a Midnight mass at our church and I hope there is a service we can go to. We are excited about sharing this Christmas together because it is our first "official" Christmas together. Our tree is all trimmed, our gifts are wrapped and stockings stuffed. We're meeting Tim's family for lunch tomorrow and while I'm excited, I'm also a bit nervous, because who knows what will happen when the five of us get together.
We have a lot to look forward to this month, because I (Christy) heard from our Operations Manager (OM) at work that he wants to keep me on after the holiday season. He said it in no uncertain terms, which is encouraging. Tim has been told that the OM wants to keep HIM on as well, and this is a way for us to (possibly) keep our jobs. This is a huge breakthrough for both of us, because while we might not be able to find "real" jobs (those that take place in offices and have health insurance, for example), we have jobs that we like, and that we are good at.
Christy's dad came to visit us for a few days earlier this month. We exchanged some Christmas gifts (and didn't open any!) and went out for dinner to catch up. It was the first time we had seen any family members since the wedding, and it was just a nice thing to do and it felt good to have some normalcy in our crazy and hectic work schedules. It was really good to see Tim and dad get together again. It was interesting because before the wedding they would only shake hands; now, my dad took the initiative and hugged him. I guess that means that Tim is really part of the family now.
Anyway, that's about all there is to say right now. Merry Christmas everybody!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Welcome to Chicagoland!
Hi everybody, and welcome to the "Adventures in Chicagoland" blog!
The reason I created this blog was to let our family follow our adventures here as we head out into the Big Wide World on our own.
Right now we are both working part time at a bookstore in downtown Chicago, which is a real blessing for us in this troubled economy. We enjoy the work but often wish we could work more shifts to feel more like a job and not just something to do in our spare time.
We have not been able to explore the city too much because we have been trying to find work, and we are still learning to balance our lives in a way that gives us time to both work and enjoy our playtime.
That is all for now, I have to start thinking about making dinner when Tim comes back from work. Take it easy, everyone.
The reason I created this blog was to let our family follow our adventures here as we head out into the Big Wide World on our own.
Right now we are both working part time at a bookstore in downtown Chicago, which is a real blessing for us in this troubled economy. We enjoy the work but often wish we could work more shifts to feel more like a job and not just something to do in our spare time.
We have not been able to explore the city too much because we have been trying to find work, and we are still learning to balance our lives in a way that gives us time to both work and enjoy our playtime.
That is all for now, I have to start thinking about making dinner when Tim comes back from work. Take it easy, everyone.
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